Tag: special teams

Texans’ defensive grades from 24-21 win over the Titans

The Houston Texans defense had gold stars and some red marks from their 24-21 win over the Tennessee Titans Sunday afternoon in Week 15.

The Houston Texans defense didn’t have the statistically dominant performance that they usually have had against the Tennessee Titans, but they did everything that was necessary when called upon in the 24-21 win Sunday afternoon at Nissan Stadium.

While the Titans out-gained the Texans 432 to 374 and also produced 75% red zone efficiency, the defense held Tennessee to 4-of-10 on third downs and 1-of-2 on fourth downs along with intercepting quarterback Ryan Tannehill once. The special teams also added a blocked field goal for good measure.

With all of that as a preamble, here are the grades.

defensive line

Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

The defensive line may have allowed running back Derrick Henry to have a productive game with 21 carries for 86 yards, and also sacked Ryan Tannehill just once on their own as rookie defensive end Charles Omenihu dropped the quarterback on the game’s penultimate play. However, they didn’t complete buckle to the Titans’ offense. The defensive line held forth and didn’t allow the Titans to fully establish their will along the line of scrimmage. Defensive end Carlos Watkins and defensive tackle D.J. Reader led the group with four tackles apiece. Reader had a quarterback hit, as did nose tackle Brandon Dunn.

Grade: B
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Broncos finally work out Frank Tripucka’s grandson, punter Shane Tripucka

Denver worked out punter Shane Tripucka. He is the grandson of former AFL All-Star Frank Tripucka, a member of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame.

It’s about time.

Chris Tripucka, the son of former quarterback Frank Tripucka and father of punter Shane Tripucka, has been calling on the Broncos to give his son a tryout for months. He’s active on Twitter (@TXTrip17) and his request was finally granted this week.

The Broncos worked out Shane Tripucka and two other punters — Trevor Daniel and Ryan Anderson — this week, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Denver has been working out players who are candidates to sign “future contracts” at the end of the season.

Teams can have 90 players on the roster in the offseason and future deals are given out at the end of the season. Those contracts become official when the new league year begins in March. Players who are not on an active roster at the end of the year are eligible to sign future contracts.

Frank Tripucka was the Broncos’ quarterback for their first four seasons in the AFL (1960-63) and he earned AFL All-Star honors in 1960. Tripucka is a member of the team’s Ring of Fame and his No. 18 jersey is retired. Tripucka gave former quarterback Peyton Manning special permission to wear that number during his time in Denver.

Shane, Frank’s grandson, averaged 45.5 yards per punt during his senior year at Texas A&M in 2017. He went to training camp with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2018 but is yet to punt in a regular-season game in the NFL.

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Key special teams contributor Nick Bellore expected back Week 15

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll believes that fullback/special teamer Nick Bellore will be able to suit up on Sunday against Carolina.

The Seattle Seahawks took a hit to their special teams unit with the news that Neiko Thorpe was placed on the injured reserve with a sports hernia and will miss the rest of the season.

Thorpe’s presence has long been a big part of the punt and kick coverage teams for the Seahawks, and while they will miss him in the final three regular season games – he was the captain of the special teams after all – coach Pete Carroll did relay some good news on Wednesday about fellow core special teamer, fullback Nick Bellore.

“Nick’s got a chance to come back, he’s going to practice today,” Carroll said. “We’re thinking if he makes it through the week he should be able to play for us. That’s a big plus for us coming back. He’s been a real factor in teams, a real good factor for us. So, we’re looking forward to him coming back.”

Bellore has appeared in 11 games for Seattle this season, but he missed the last two weeks with a quad strain. He has one reception for 20 yards on the year, along with a fumble recovery on teams.

His veteran presence will help steady a young group of special teamers that will be without Thorpe for the rest of year.

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Seahawks have no hesitation giving Travis Homer the ball

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll says rookie Travis Homer is ready for a role on the offense following the injury to Rashaad Penny.

Seattle Seahawks rookie running back Travis Homer has seen his role increase steadily this season, first contributing on the coverage special teams, and then transitioning into the team’s primary kick returner before taking a fake punt for a 29-yard gain on Sunday – his first career carry.

Now, Homer’s role is likely to increase even more following the injury to Rashaad Penny – and the rookie is expected to make his season debut as a member of the offense in Week 15 against the Panthers.

“We’re ready to go,” coach Pete Carroll said on Wednesday. “He has been a fantastic contributor on special teams and he’s worked throughout the year with us. We don’t have any hesitation. He will get a chance to get the ball this weekend. C.J. [Prosise] is going to step right into the two role and alternate with Chris [Carson], and Homer is alive and ready to go too.”

Prosise is still the top beneficiary of Penny’s absence, but after a strong performance in the return game it is clear Carroll is starting to view Homer as more than just a core special teamer.

Prosie is in the final year of his rookie contract, and how he performs in place of Penny will help determine if the team bring him back next year or opts to let Homer take over as the team’s third-string running back in 2020.

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Seahawks promote Ryan Neal, place Neiko Thorpe on injured reserve

The Seattle Seahawks placed Neiko Thorpe on the injured reserve and promoted safety Ryan Neal from the practice squad to take his place.

The Seattle Seahawks officially placed cornerback Neiko Thorpe (sports hernia) on the injured reserve, ending his season. Thorpe’s roster spot went to fellow defensive back Ryan Neal, who was promoted from the practice squad to take his place.

Neal was originally an undrafted free agent out of Southern Illinois. He spent time with the Falcons last season, appearing in one game, but has been on Seattle’s practice squad since Week 1 of the season.

He’ll likely take over as a special teams contributor for the Seahawks in place of Thorpe, who has served as the team’s special teams captain for the past few years.

Seattle also added running back Xavier Turner to the practice squad to take the place of Neal. Turner is added depth at running back, following the ACL injury suffered by Rashaad Penny on Sunday night.

Turner spent part of the preseason with the Seahawks, appearing in all four preseason games and rushing 17 times for 71 yards.

Penny is expected to be placed on the injured reserve, likely to clear room for offensive lineman Ethan Pocic to be activated from IR.

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Roster Churn: Cowboys add 4-time college track champ to WR group

Dallas will sign former LSU track star Cyril Grayson to its practice squad, adding WR depth and special teams help for the rest of 2019.

The Dallas Cowboys continue to make roster moves ahead of their Week 15 meeting with the Los Angeles Rams, in hopes that a little fine-tuning here and some minor tweaking there will be enough to fuel a late-December push to the postseason.

The latest addition to the club is wide receiver Cyril Grayson, according to reports. This practice squad signing comes in the wake of Cedrick Wilson’s injury sustained in the final minute of play against the Bears on December 5. Wilson had to be assisted off the field after attempting to haul in a Dak Prescott pass and ultimately left the stadium on crutches.

A seven-time All-American on the track, Grayson ran a 4.33 forty at LSU’s Pro Day in spring 2017, according to RotoWorld. Despite not playing football in college, he talked his way into participating in the same pro day as Leonard Fournette and Jamal Adams. It’s an incredible story that ended with him being offered a contract by Seattle 72 hours later, even though Grayson didn’t even have an agent at the time.

Since then, the 5-foot-9 speedster has also spent time with Indianapolis, Houston, Chicago, and New Orleans, mostly on those teams’ practice squads. He has yet to see action in a regulation NFL game.

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Neiko Thorpe out for the season after having sports hernia surgery

Seattle Seahawks core special teamer Neiko Thorpe had surgery to repair a sports hernia, and will miss the rest of the 2019 season.

The Seattle Seahawks lost a key piece of their special teams unit after coach Pete Carroll announced on Friday that Neiko Thorpe had surgery for a sports hernia, and will miss the rest of the 2019 season.

“Neiko had surgery for an athletic hernia,” Carroll commented. “He is coming back from Philadelphia today. He will be done.”

Philadelphia is where Dr. William Meyers works. Dr. Meyers performed sports hernia surgeries on Doug Baldwin and Jarran Reed in the past year, and also visited with Jadeveon Clowney a few weeks ago when the Seahawks played the Eagles. It’s unclear if that’s why Thorpe was in Philadelphia, but it certainly adds up.

Thorpe appeared in seven games for the Seahawks this year, racking up four solo tackles. He did most of his work on the special teams, although he did play 13 defensive snaps against the Falcons in Week 8 as an injury replacement.

Carroll did not specify if Thorpe will be placed on the injured reserve, but it would make sense for the team to do so, as they will eventually need to clear a roster spot for Ethan Pocic to officially return from IR.

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Travis Homer’s style of running perfectly suited to return kicks

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll continued to rave about rookie running back Travis Homer’s performance as Seattle’s kick returner.

The Seattle Seahawks, for the first time since the 2015 season, may finally have a player regularly returning kicks that isn’t named Tyler Lockett.

Lockett has not returned in either of the last two games, although a lingering leg injury and a bout with the flu are certainly two big factors.

However – the Seahawks strongly indicated during the offseason that they’d like to take Lockett away from his special teams duties, allowing him to focus on being the team’s number one receiver while also preventing him from getting hurt.

His two weeks off may have finally given Seattle that chance, as rookie Travis Homer stepped up in a big way as a kick returner.

Coach Pete Carroll raved about Homer’s performance as a return-man the past few weeks, and specifically cited his style of running as the reason they wanted to put him back there.

“He is such an attack runner,” Carroll said on Wednesday. “It’s a really big factor when you return kickoffs that you get out and get going right away. He’s a burst runner just as you guys saw him. He has a real style about him in that regard. He’s really tough. He’s a guy that we have trusted so much. He’s the personal protector for the punt team as a rookie because he’s so diligent about his work and it means so much to him. We just figured that he would have the right make up to do a good, solid job back there. He’s been really sharp, really consistent the first few shots he’s had.”

Lockett is expected to be fully healed and recovered from the flu in time for Seattle’s Sunday night matchup with the Rams in Los Angeles, but as of now it is not clear if he will return to his normal kick return duties – especially after Homer’s recent successes.

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Fake punt gives Seahawks rookie Travis Homer his first career carry

The Seattle Seahawks ran a fake punt in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings, giving rookie Travis Homer his first NFL carry.

Seattle Seahawks running back Travis Homer has not had an active role in the team’s offense so far this season. Buried behind Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, and at times C.J. Prosise, the rookie has not had a chance to show what he can do coming out of the backfield.

Instead, Homer has made a living as a core special teamer, first primarily as a hitter and more recently as a kick returner, a role he has held the past two games while Tyler Lockett recovered – first from a leg injury and then from the flu.

Monday night’s game not only saw Homer return two kicks for 51 yards, but he also got a surprise carry – on a fake punt the Seahawks ran in the fourth quarter on fourth and two.

Homer not only easily converted a first down, he scampered 29 yards down the sideline to give Seattle excellent field position.

“The guys did it beautifully,” Carroll commented after the game. “The timing was exactly right.”

Homer’s role is steadily growing with the Seahawks, and while he’s still buried on the running back depth chart, his strong play on the special teams will make him an invaluable piece of this team going forward.

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No. 16 Notre Dame Beats Stanford: 5 Quick Thoughts

The 2019 regular season comes to an end and 10-2 ends up the final record and along with it come some different feelings than we’d probably have expected had most of us been told 10 wins was happening back in August

It wasn’t the prettiest of starts but Notre Dame settled down impressively well, specifically after a blocked punt late in the first half that set up a touchdown to draw the Irish within a 17-14 deficit.

Shortly after Chase Claypool and Ian Book did what they’ve done so well together this year and gave the Irish their first lead of the game, 21-17 just before halftime.

From there the ball just rolled for the Irish who walked out with their tenth win of the season and first win at Stanford since all the way back in 2007.

The 2019 regular season has come to an end and in all likelihood a date in the Camping World Bowl awaits.  Here are your five instant thoughts from Notre Dame’s 45-24 victory at Stanford.

First up – More praise for Clark Lea

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